Cheryl Schatz

Craig,
Continuing on, you said:

If Timothy has asked him about a particular woman and a particular man, or a particular wife and husband, or a particular woman and several men, Paul, with this specific situation in mind, could be stating the principle that he would go by and apply to this case “A woman should learn and I do not permit this kind of behaviour of a deceived woman teaching falsely and authenteining a man. He then gives the reason for this principle in v13,14. Then he gives the specific outcome in v15 that will occur in this case if the principles of v11,12 are followed. So the “she” and the “they” refers back to the letter of Timothy rather that v12.
If Tim has written about a particular wife and husband, then “she” refers to the wife and “they” refers to the wife and husband. If Tim wrote about a woman and several men, then “she” would be the woman and “they” could be the men.

Here is the problem with “a woman” and “a man” as “men” – Paul would have had to say “a woman” and “men”. It would be inconsistent to make part of the sentence as a singular particular woman and the rest as generic man. Paul would have had to refer to “several men” who are not “all men” but particular men, in the plural. The clear way of communicating this would be “I do not allow a woman (anaphoric reference to “the woman” of verse 14) to teach or authentein men.